There is known a continuous drug packet in which tablets are included into drug packets based prescription information or the like and the drug packets into which the tablets are included are continuously formed. There is known a tablet counting device for counting the number of drugs included in drug packets of a continuous drug packet.
According to the conventional tablet counting device, in a state where an end of the drug packet is clamped by a clamp mechanism, a looseness-giving mechanism loosens the drug packet clamped by the clamp mechanism, a vibrating mechanism vibrates the drug packet clamped by the clamp mechanism, thereby spreading out tablets in the drug packet clamped by the clamp mechanism and counting the number of drugs (see patent document 1 for example).
Another conventional tablet counting device includes a conveyor path through which a continuous drug packet is conveyed, conveying means for conveying the continuous drug packet along the conveyor path, a determining unit for counting the number of tablets in a drug packet of the continuous drug packet conveyed by the conveying means, and tablet separating means provided upstream of the conveyor path (see patent document 2 for example).
There is known a tablet wrapping device for producing a continuous drug packet in which drug packets each including a tablet separately wrapped in powder wrapping paper sheets are continuously formed based on prescription information or the like (see patent document 3 for example).
Further, as a conventional method for describing information including a result of measurement of the number of tablets on a drug packet or a continuous drug packet (e.g., when tablets of a desired number are not included, this product is marked as a defective), there is a printing method using a printing unit such as a laser printer and an ink-jet printer (see patent document 4 for example).